Wireless telecommunications terminals (e.g., cell phones, personal digital assistants [PDAs] with wireless capabilities, notebook computers with wireless capabilities, etc.) are increasingly being used in the workplace for job-related tasks. Some enterprises have deployed software applications that execute on a server and can be accessed by workers via their wireless terminals. Such applications are commonly referred to as wireless web-based applications or wireless client/server applications, depending on whether or not a browser is used as the user interface on the wireless terminals.
FIG. 1 depicts illustrative telecommunications system 100 in the prior art. As shown in FIG. 1, telecommunications system 100 comprises telecommunications network 105, wireless telecommunications terminal 110, and server 120, interconnected as shown.
Telecommunications network 105 is a network that comprises one or more wireless elements (e.g., wireless access points, wireless base stations, etc.) and is capable of transporting signals between server 120 and other devices, such as wireless telecommunications terminal 110.
Wireless telecommunications terminal 110 is capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving electromagnetic signals to and from telecommunications network 105 via a wireless transceiver.
Server 120 is a data-processing system that is capable of executing one or more software applications, of hosting one or more resources (e.g., a database, a printer, a file, etc.), and of receiving and transmitting signals via telecommunications network 105.
In some instances it is desirable for security reasons to require that the user of wireless telecommunications terminal 110 be authenticated before the terminal is allowed to access an application or resource on server 120. Typically a user is presented with an authentication challenge, and the user must supply a valid response to the challenge. Examples of different types of authentication challenges include                requiring a user to furnish his or her username and password;        requiring a user to consult an electronic token device or a list of numbers in order to furnish a one-time password;        requiring a user to answer a pre-arranged secret question (e.g., “What is your mother's maiden name?”, “What was your first telephone number?”, etc.); and        biometrics (e.g., fingerprint recognition, voice recognition, retinal or iris scan, etc.).Furthermore, in some instances the user of wireless telecommunications terminal 110 might be periodically challenged (i.e., the user is periodically re-authenticated) for greater security.        